Data Scientist II

McKinsey & Company; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global consulting firm is seeking a Data Scientist II to drive innovation through artificial intelligence and machine learning. You will work closely with multidisciplinary teams to create scalable data science solutions and enhance existing products using diverse data sets. The ideal candidate has a strong background in machine learning and a passion for developing impactful technologies. This role promises exceptional growth opportunities in a collaborative and innovative environment.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Comprehensive benefits package

Continuous learning opportunities

Qualifications

• 2-5+ years of experience applying machine learning techniques to real problems.
• Experience in NLP and generative AI is highly desirable.
• Strong programming skills in SQL and Python.

Responsibilities

• Create scalable data science solutions and enhance existing assets.
• Work with diverse datasets to address complex challenges.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to drive innovation.

Skills

Machine learning

Data mining

NLP

Programming in SQL

Python's Data Science stack

Education

Bachelor's, Master's or PhD in computer science, machine learning, applied statistics, mathematics, engineering, or AI

Tools

SQL

Python

Pyspark

Hadoop

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Your Growth

Driving lasting impact and building long‑term capabilities with our clients is not easy work. You are the kind of person who thrives in a high performance/high reward culture - doing hard things, picking yourself up when you stumble, and having the resilience to try another way forward.

In return for your drive, determination, and curiosity, we’ll provide the resources, mentorship, and opportunities you need to become a stronger leader faster than you ever thought possible. Your colleagues—at all levels—will invest deeply in your development, just as much as they invest in delivering exceptional results for clients. Every day, you’ll receive apprenticeship, coaching, and exposure that will accelerate your growth in ways you won’t find anywhere else.

When you join us, you will have:

• Continuous learning: Our learning and apprenticeship culture, backed by structured programs, is all about helping you grow while creating an environment where feedback is clear, actionable, and focused on your development. The real magic happens when you take the input from others to heart and embrace the fast‑paced learning experience, owning your journey.
• A voice that matters: From day one, we value your ideas and contributions. You’ll make a tangible impact by offering innovative ideas and practical solutions, all while upholding our unwavering commitment to ethics and integrity. We encourage diverse perspectives, and they are critical in driving us toward the best possible outcomes.
• Global community: With colleagues across 65+ countries and over 100 different nationalities, our firm’s diversity fuels creativity and helps us come up with the best solutions for our clients. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• World‑class benefits: On top of a competitive salary (based on your location, experience, and skills), we provide a comprehensive benefits package to enable holistic well‑being for you and your family.

Your Impact

You will be part of QuantumBlack Labs and work in a team of software engineers, product managers, data scientists, data engineers and designers to create innovative products and new technologies that accelerate and scale our work in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Our teams in QuantumBlack Labs are responsible for:

• Designing products that can explain complex data landscapes and insights to our users.
• Building frameworks and libraries for Data Scientists, Data Engineers and Machine Learning Engineers to work in large‑scale, complex projects. We open‑source some of these frameworks, like Kedro and ARK.
• Building innovative industry‑specific AI/ML solutions that embed our distinctive technical approach and business knowledge for enterprise clients.

As a Data Scientist II, you will create scalable data science solutions, enhance existing assets, and work with diverse datasets to address complex challenges across industries. Collaborating with global, multidisciplinary teams, you’ll drive innovation, develop impactful technologies, and grow as a leader in AI and machine learning.

You will work with diverse and complex data sets, develop data science products, and write optimized code to enhance our internal tools. Collaborating with data scientists, engineers, and designers, you will leverage advanced math, statistics, and machine learning to deliver impactful solutions and grow the firm’s capacity to deliver at scale.

Your work will help clients address their most pressing challenges by deploying cutting‑edge technology and amplifying impact across industries. You will also contribute to the broader data science community by writing papers, presenting at conferences, and sharing knowledge with colleagues.

You will be based in London or Madrid and collaborate closely with data scientists, data engineers, machine learning engineers, designers, and product managers around the world. Together, you’ll work on interdisciplinary projects to solve complex business challenges across a range of industries. Collaborating with QuantumBlack leadership, client executives, and technical experts, you will lead the development and application of cutting‑edge machine learning and AI solutions to drive measurable business impact.

At McKinsey, you’ll grow as a technologist and leader, working in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment. You’ll push the boundaries of innovation and technology while shaping the future of AI and data science alongside inspiring individuals.

Your qualifications and skills

• Bachelors, Masters or PhD level in a discipline such as computer science, machine learning, applied statistics, mathematics, engineering or artificial intelligence.
• 2‑5+ years of professional experience in applying machine learning and data mining techniques to real problems with copious amounts of data.
• Previous experience in NLP or generative AI, including model development or application design and deployment, is highly desirable.
• Programming experience (focus on machine learning): SQL and Python’s Data Science stack are a must; good knowledge of at least one big data framework (Pyspark, Hive, Hadoop) is a plus; R, SPSS, SAS (nice to have); Software Engineering is a plus.
• Knowledge in applying machine learning solutions to real problems with complex and/or big amounts of data.
• Ability to prototype statistical analysis and modeling algorithms and apply these algorithms for data‑driven solutions to problems in new domains.
• Experience deploying technology applied to business problems is a plus.
• While we advocate for using the right tech for the right task, we often leverage the following technologies: Python, PySpark, the PyData stack, SQL, Airflow, Databricks, our own open‑source data pipelining framework called Kedro, Dask/RAPIDS, container technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes, cloud solutions such as AWS, GCP, and Azure, and more.
• Exceptional time management to meet your responsibilities in a complex and largely autonomous work environment.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, in English and local office language(s), with the ability to adjust your style to suit different perspectives and seniority levels.